Feb. 1, 2006
Every member of last year's Baylor women's golf team returns in 2006 and remembers the feeling of having a firm grasp on a second straight NCAA Championship appearance, only to let it slip through their hands in the final round of the NCAA Central Regional.
Head coach Sylvia Ferdon, in her 12th season at the helm of the program, plans to have four of the five starters from the regional in the spring lineups, and all of them are hungry to return to the NCAA Championship.
The Bears got off to a great start of the 2005-06 season, claiming a team victory at the season-opening Ptarmigan/Ram Classic, where senior Josefin Svenningsson and sophomore Sian Reddick shared the individual title. Reddick then put the cap on the fall by claiming the Big 12 Conference Women's Golfer of the Month award for November by virtue of her fifth-place showing at the Kent Youel Invitational in Hawai'i.
Baylor begins the spring ranked 31st nationally and 10th in the Central Region by Golfstat. In addition, Svenningsson ranks 45th individually, followed closely by Reddick at 54th.
Svenningsson, now in her senior season, has been a steady force for the Bears her entire career and leads the team this year with a 73.58 stroke average. As she returns to the form that earned her All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore, she should make her mark as one of the top players in program history.
Senior Meredith Jones has also been a rock for the Bears over the past two-and-a-half seasons since transferring from Arizona State. Jones, who made the Big 12 all-tournament team in 2004 and finished just outside the top 10 at the 2005 championship, began the fall season with 11 straight rounds in the 70s and carries the team's third-best stroke average.
Junior Anna Rehnholm also returns after earning All-Big 12 Tournament honors by virtue of her eighth-place finish at the 2005 conference championship. Rehnholm, like Svenningsson and Jones, also posted 11 of 12 fall rounds in the 70s.
Reddick is coming off a sensational freshman season in which she led the team and set the Baylor freshman scoring record a 76.24 stroke average. Reddick tied for 10th at the 2005 Big 12 Championship to earn All-Big 12 Tournament honors and was named one of Golfweek's "50 Players to Watch" in 2006. She started the fall off with a bang, setting Baylor's 18-hole scoring record with a 67 in the second round of the Ptarmigan/Ram Classic and went on to tie teammate Svenningsson for the individual title. All nine of Reddick's fall rounds were in the 70s, including six rounds of 75 or better, and ranks second on the team with an average of 74.00 per round.
Junior Allison Martin, a transfer from the University of Georgia, is expected to round out the Bears' lineup in the spring. She was the Bulldogs' top finisher four times in 2004, including a runner-up finish at the Liz Murphy Collegiate, and was once named Southeastern Conference player of the week. As Martin continues to adjust to her surroundings and adjust her game, look for her to make an impact for the Bears in the spring.
Senior Sherry Summers adds stability as she has consistently been in the Bears' lineup for the past two seasons. Redshirt freshman Meg McDaniel and true freshman Natalie Hocott, who will redshirt this season, continue to improve their games and are important components to the Bears' future.
While the Bears will have to trek north for the 2006 Big 12 Championship in Lincoln, Neb., the team will have a short trip south to Bryan, Texas, as it looks for redemption in the NCAA Central Regional.
